Welcome to my next newsletter. I thank you in an advance for reading and please feel free to share this with anyone who you believe will enjoy.

Having always had a fascination for interesting facts and trivia, I decided to deviate from my normal newsletter theme and provide you with some interesting information. Leading on from my previous newsletter where I mentioned that we should all try to learn something new every day…I trust you will enjoy this lighter and hopefully informative version of my newsletter.

1. COMMUTER COUPLES

This is the term used for when one or both partner/s commute and travel for business and spend time away from home. There are currently 3.5 million Americans in Commuter relationships and this number is increasing dramatically each year. The reasons for this are various however one is the need to seek employment outside one’s own country as a result of limited job opportunities and the recession. In Dubai for example only 17% of the population is native born.

2. DIY DIAGNOSIS

A huge trend in our society is “Do-It-yourself Doctors”. Many people (including you at some point) go online and get a description of their ailments and then self diagnose. ‘Patients’ are now taking matters into their own hands and instead of going to the doctor now diagnose themselves. As a result, over the counter medicine sales have grown over 10 fold. The internet and easy to access information has facilitated this new trend. Interesting… however I know I’ve done it too!

3. FEMALE TECHIES

Can you believe that women outspend men on technology 3 to 2? Apparently women are more likely than men to use cell phones - 88% to 83% and digital cameras – 54% to 50%. TV’s DVD’s and PC’s men and women are much the same. Females lag behind on portable MP3 players and play stations. So guys beware!

4. SLEEP PATTERNS

Sleep experts have been telling us for years that we need between 7 – 8 hours sleep per night if we are to be productive and effective the following day. Well these hours are dropping all over the world. According to a Sleep Survey most of those nations where people sleep less, are Asian. Some interesting stats re those who go to sleep after midnight and are still up early: Hong Kong - 66%; Japan – 60%; Thailand – 43%. The 3 key factors people attribute to sleep deprivation are 1. Habit 2. Work pressures/ schedules and 3. Family and children. Interestingly the nations that get the most sleep are New Zealand and Australia – 28% and 31% respectively - who get over 9 hours sleep per night!

5. SOUTHPAWS (LEFT HANDEDNESS)

At one stage the estimated number of lefties in the world was 12%. That figure is rapidly changing and it is now estimated that 1 in 10 people are left handed. There are various reasons for this change however the key is that the world is becoming more accepting of being left handed and it is no longer considered to be 'bad or evil'. Interestingly more twins are left handed. Children born to moms over 40 are 128% more likely to be left handed than children born to moms in their twenties. More tennis players, baseball players, artists and music greats are left handed. Every US president since Gerald Ford except for Jimmy Carter and George W bush was left handed. So to all those lefties out there – we are special!

6. WORDS WORDS WORDS!

There are 1009753 words in the English dictionary. However what is interesting is the number of new words added to the Oxford dictionary recently. Here are some for your information:

Bloggable; cyberbullying; la-la land; LOL; muffin top; OMG; Onliner; peeps; rural economics; wag; yuck

...and here are some words I bet you didn’t know – try using them:

Declivitous – downward sloping, having a moderately steep incline. Say…”His nose is particularly declivitous.”

Oenophile – connoisseur or lover of wine/knowledge of wines. Say...”He is an excellent oenophile.”

Petrichor– the smell of rain after a period of dry weather. Say…”The fresh rain has brought a wonderful petrichor.”

Vituperate – to criticise abusive language. Say…”Don’t shout at me and please don’t vituperate.”